Life Practice Program (LPP) with Shinzen Young

The Life Practice Program is an online meditation program led by Shinzen Young, the American mindfulness teacher known for Unified Mindfulness. It is for people who want to take their practice beyond the cushion and bring it into daily life, and it meets weekly with a guest joining Shinzen each session.

The program sits within a wider calendar of online offerings connected to Shinzen's teaching. Alongside the weekly sessions there are weekend Home Practice Program retreats held by conference call, so people can take part in retreat-style meditation from their own homes.

What to Expect

Each weekly Life Practice Program session is built around Shinzen and a guest. The emphasis is on applying meditation to the rest of your life, rather than treating it as something that happens only while sitting. Sessions are held online, so you can join from wherever you are.

The weekly sessions run through the year, with regular breaks in the pattern when a weekend Home Practice Program takes place. Those weekend retreats are offered via conference call and are typically led by Unified Mindfulness trainers and coaches, with some led by Shinzen himself. A virtual retreat hosted by Vipassana Support International and an annual immersion experience also appear on the wider calendar.

About Shinzen Young

Shinzen Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant. He is known for Unified Mindfulness, his systematic approach to categorizing, adapting and teaching meditation. His work has led to collaborations with Harvard Medical School, Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Vermont in contemplative neuroscience, and he is co-director of the Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) Lab at the University of Arizona.

His interest in Asia began at 14, when he chose to attend a Japanese ethnic school in his native Los Angeles. He majored in Asian languages at UCLA and then entered a PhD program in Buddhist Studies at the University of Wisconsin. For his thesis research he lived for three years as a Shingon (Japanese Vajrayana) monk at Mount Koya, Japan, where he received the name Shinzen.

Before You Go

The program takes place entirely online, so all you need is a way to connect from home. The Home Practice Program weekends are run by conference call, which means a phone or computer with audio is the essential piece. Guests change from week to week, so each session has its own character while keeping to the same purpose: practice that carries into everyday life.